Did you know nearly half of men and women alike experience sexual dysfunction at some point? One of the most common causes of this is a low libido.
Low libido, in turn, has many causes. It can be due to psychological issues, physical wellbeing, or plain exhaustion. Pregnancy is also a common cause, as well as getting old.
With the variety of causes, the solutions for low libido aren’t all the same, either. If you’re experiencing it and you’re looking for natural libido enhancers, then you’ve come to the right place.
Check out our tips below to learn how you can try to increase your sex drive naturally.
1. Try Foods That Are Natural Libido Enhancers
Some foods can increase sex drive and sexual pleasure in a natural way. Science has backed quite a few, like maca and Tribulus.
Maca is a sweet root vegetable found predominantly in Peru. In South America, they call it “the Peruvian Viagra” for its abilities to boost fertility. It may also help against the loss of libido caused by some antidepressant drugs.
Not all foods people believe to be aphrodisiacs have strong scientific evidence backing them up. However, they’re still worth a try as some of them are quite common household foods.
Examples are bananas, avocados, honey, pomegranate, and figs among others. Some also believe that chocolate can boost your libido because of its components. Oysters and asparagus are a common recommendation, too.
The next time you cook, don’t ease up on the basil and garlic. A whiff of basil can stimulate the senses, while garlic can increase blood flow. Saffron also shows some libido-boosting properties, especially for people taking antidepressants.
Chili peppers have some obvious effects. It can get your heart pumping, make you sweat, and increase your blood flow. These might get your sex drive up and running but don’t forget to wash your hands after handling them.
If you can get your hands on some herbs like red ginseng, ginkgo Biloba, and fenugreek, you can try those, too.
2. Switch to a Nutritious Diet
While we’re on the subject of foods, let’s talk about your eating habits. It might be time to take on a healthier diet.
The good thing about the natural libido enhancers we mentioned above is that they’re healthy, too. You can eat them without guilt as a part of your healthy diet.
Still, you have to make more effort than that. To get a functional sex life, you need to have good circulation and hormonal balance.
Some diseases contribute to a lower libido. By eating healthier, you get to prevent these diseases, too.
While you’re at it, you can remove food items that can decrease libido. Examples are cheese, grains, yogurt, and alcohol. These foods encourage the enzyme aromatase to convert testosterone into estrogen.
3. Stick to One Glass of Wine
Like we said above, alcohol can impair your sexual function. It’s not a big surprise for many drinkers, but it’s still worth mentioning.
Limited alcohol consumption can help in one way: lowering your inhibitions. A glass of wine allows you to get more intimate by putting you at ease. It opens up communication, too, which is important in getting passionate.
However, too much of it can ruin any plans you have of that night as it might lead to erectile dysfunction. Alcohol is a depressant, so it might also dampen the mood. It’s also hard to reach an orgasm while drunk.
4. Get Regular Exercise
A part of becoming healthy is regular exercise. It may help you boost your sex drive in physical and psychological ways. It’s also a good way to lower stress, which we’ll talk about later on.
It also helps you maintain weight. Did you know that some scientists found a link between obesity and low sex drive? The main factor linking the two is hormonal imbalance.
Some types of exercises that may help boost libido are strength training, yoga, walking, swimming, and Kegels. Exercising for more hours per week will lead to a healthier life, but for boosting sexual function, at least 2 hours of strenuous exercise for men and 3.5 hours of moderate exercise for women may help.
5. Get Treatment for Your Anxiety and Depression
Both anxiety and depression can interfere with all the aspects of your life. One of which is your sexual function. If you have these mental issues, you’ll need more than an aphrodisiac to boost your libido.
You’ll need to treat them at the cause, so you’ll have to talk to a professional about this. You may also learn some techniques in managing anxiety.
You might also have a specific form of anxiety that relates to your sex life. Performance anxiety is quite common. You’ll also benefit from therapy if you have this condition.
You can try to work on it, too; some experts suggest getting to know your body through masturbation. They also suggest communicating with your partner. The key is to be at ease and to let go of the pressure you put on yourself.
For severe cases, you might have to take medication. However, medication for anxiety and depression might also cause a lower sex drive. Be sure to talk to your doctor about the possible side effects.
6. Learn How to Manage Stress
Stress is one of the biggest contributors to sexual dysfunction. If you’re getting too busy lately with a lot going on your mind, find ways to take a step back and breathe.
This is going to be difficult, especially if the cause of stress isn’t going away anytime soon. Crazy workload or personal issues can be the source of neverending stress.
You can try to manage it by doing some stress-relieving activities. Learn meditation to achieve a stable mental and emotional state. Yoga and exercise are good stress relievers, too.
Find support in all areas, including from your partner. If you can, try to find a new hobby wherein you can let go of other thoughts. You can take a breather by doing something you enjoy.
7. Boost Your Self-Confidence
Self-confidence is another psychological factor in having a low libido. The way you feel about your body can affect the way you look at sex. Having low self-confidence, therefore, can lead to lower libido.
How can you boost your self-confidence? Well, it’s a long road, but you have to get to the roots.
What makes you insecure or what makes you think lowly of yourself? If it’s weight, for example, exercising and eating a healthy diet might help you. They will also help you get to a healthier state of mind.
No matter what it is, make daily reminders of why you should love yourself.
8. Get a Good Night’s Sleep
The lack of sleep makes it hard for one to get into the mood. It seeps in other areas of your life, too.
It can make you irritable, short-tempered, and stressed. Little sleep also lowers your immune system, making you susceptible to various diseases.
Sleep deprivation isn’t a good experience overall. Try to take care of your sleep habits or at the least, get a good night’s sleep the night before a date. You might get a boost in libido and if not, you’ll at least be in a better mood.
9. Get to the Roots of Your Relationship Issues
Sometimes, the cause of low libido is an ongoing relationship issue. You might have some unresolved conflicts or unchecked resentments that are limiting your sex drive.
Women, in particular, find it hard to get intimate with the lack of emotional closeness. A partner who’s harboring resentment is also less likely to want to get intimate.
Communication is the key here; you shouldn’t leave issues to go unresolved, hoping they’ll go away. They won’t and if you do this, the issue will only get bigger.
Talk about any lingering issue or tension. Let go of your negative emotions by talking it out with your partner, giving them a chance to resolve it.
Having a deep communication will allow you to rebuild trust and emotional bond. You can do this with only the two of you. Or, you can go to a couples’ therapist for help.
10. Try to Go to a Sex Therapy
Many of the items in this list talk about psychological issues that might be affecting your libido. If that’s the case, it’s better not to self-diagnose and self-medicate.
If you think this is the issue, consider going to a sex therapist. They will help you uncover any underlying psychological issue. If there is, then trying different ways to increase your libido may not be enough.
Sex therapy is helpful when you have negative views about sex, body image, and such. It can help you deal with shame and trauma. It can also help you address anxiety and depression.
Still, taking this route doesn’t mean you can ignore our other tips. Leading a healthy life paired with therapy can do wonders for your libido and life, in general.
If your partner agrees, you can take them with you when you go to a therapy session. Relationship counseling can help you both work through any issue.
11. Learn What Arouses You
Low sex drive is the norm for some people, and it may take time for them to get aroused on demand. The sexual desire is spontaneous, and it may not happen if they’re too pre-occupied with other things.
If this sounds like you, you need help in getting arousal. You may have to learn the ways you get desire through some trials and a little study about your body.
For example, you may need visual stimulation or physical touches to get your libido going. You might also need the right environment to get into the mood.
Don’t be afraid to try new things, as well. Try changing your pattern, as having sexual intimacy might become more like a chore you need to get over with.
Try something new in bed; the excitement can provide a much-needed boost in your libido.
You also have to communicate with your partner inside the bedroom. Tell them the things that arouse you and listen to your partner’s, too. Having a good experience may increase your desire in the future.
12. Check Out Supplements That Can Increase Your Libido
Supplements can help you balance your hormones, increase your sex drive, and such. Some of these are natural, so they still fit in the subject.
These natural supplements rely on substances found in nature. Examples include red ginseng and ginkgo Biloba, which we’ve mentioned earlier. You can consume them in pill form if you don’t want to eat or drink them as tea.
If you aren’t afraid to try something that’s not “natural,” though, you can have more choices. Viril-X is an example of a supplement that can boost your sexual function.
13. Consult Your Doctor
In the same vein as consulting a sex therapist, consulting a doctor can help you uncover any underlying medical issue that might be hindering your sex drive. If you have one, low libido is likely only one of its symptoms.
Getting it checked early gives you the chance to get it fixed right away. They’ll be able to prescribe you medication that may work for you.
It will also allow you to eliminate this as a possibility, so you can focus on finding other solutions to your problem.
Even if you don’t have medical issues, you may still want to consult your doctor about any supplement or substances you’re planning on taking to solve your low libido.
Find the Problem to Find the Solution
Looking at the tips we mentioned above, you’ll notice that they revolve around getting to the root cause. Many factors can affect natural libido, like the environment, psychological state, and physical being of a person.
This is why you must find the problem leading to low libido first. That way, you can apply the right solution. If you need more tips, check out our other health guides today.
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